The disclosure generally relates to flat panel displays and, particularly, to flat panel displays with at least a common electrode layer shared by multiple display material layers.
Flat panel displays have recently become increasingly popular. Generally, a flat panel display includes a flat panel in which a layer of display material is sandwiched between two electrode layers. When an appropriate voltage is applied across the electrode layers, the display material layer generates light (e.g., in plasma or OLED—Organic light emitting displays) or modulates light impinging thereon (e.g., liquid crystal displays) to cause a desired image to be displayed.
When a flat panel display includes several display material layers, e.g., each for a different color, wherein the display material layers are stacked one on top another, the number of electrode layers also increases, resulting in a thicker and more complex display structure. It is, therefore, desirable to reduce the number of electrodes layers, while maintaining proper operation of the flat panel display. An approach has been proposed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0159,574 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0139,299 which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The above-mentioned U.S. Patent Application Publications suggested to use a common electrode layer between adjacent liquid crystal layers to drive the adjacent liquid crystal layers. The U.S. Patent Application Publications disclosed in general that the liquid crystal layers that share the common electrode layer can be driven sequentially and/or concurrently, while crosstalk to the other liquid crystal layers that are not being driven can be prevented. There is, however, little detail in the U.S. Patent Application Publications as to how liquid crystal layers can be concurrently driven while preventing cross-talk to the other liquid crystal layers.